‘It’s fun to be a fan again.’ Star Wars aficionado ready for newest chapter

It was more than 30 years ago that a toddler sat in the car with his sister at a drive-in theater as those now-legendary words appeared on the screen.

“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.”

Kory Gaston was hooked.

Now 39 years old and a manager at Adventures Underground bookstore in Richland, Gaston has spent his life immersed in the worlds of the Jedi, Sith, Republic and Empire.

“(George) Lucas pulled from mythology, westerns and Kurosawa, and he pulled it all together,” he said. “It’s just this classic tale of good versus evil. It’s about wanting good to prevail.”

Gaston will be one of thousands to flood into Tri-City theaters Thursday to watch the newest installment in the story of the Skywalkers and the Solos. The movie opens on multiple screens in every theater.

Movie ticket website Fandango reported advance ticket sales for The Last Jedi are already higher than any other move this year. Gaston picked up his ticket early.

This is not the first time he’s spent years anticipating the next installment of the franchise, which has spanned 40 years. In the 15-plus years between Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace, Gaston’s fandom only grew.

He read books and played games, and knew more about the Star Wars galaxy then he knew about some of his school subjects.

He saw all of the remastered versions of the initial trilogy, seeing A New Hope six times in one day. When The Phantom Menace was announced, he was thrilled.

In the days leading up to its release, Gaston and a group of coworkers searched the internet for clues, and theorized about Anakin Skywalker’s story.

“We did camp out in front of the theater for three days,” he said. “My wife was pretty cool about it.”

Gaston has passed along his love of the franchise to the next generation as well.

His youngest daughter was born in the months before The Phantom Menace was released in 1999, and they brought her to the movie.

His wife used a toy lightsaber to tell Gaston she was pregnant with their son — he would need it if they were going to play.

He even tried to preserve the original trilogy’s biggest twist until his kids could see the movies. But it was another Star Wars series, the cartoon Clone Wars, that spoiled it. He remembered the magic of the moment he learned who Luke’s father was.

“When you’re a kid and you see that scene at the end of The Empire Strikes Back and it just blows your mind,” he said.

He has his theories about this movie’s biggest question — the heritage of the protagonist Rey. He’s happy the movies have returned to form and is ready to see the newest installment.

“We lived through the dark times of the prequel movies,” he said. “It’s fun to be a fan again.”

This story was originally published December 13, 2017 at 7:17 PM with the headline "‘It’s fun to be a fan again.’ Star Wars aficionado ready for newest chapter."